Monday, April 30, 2007

Read on to learn about 10 supplements you should take that you probably never even thought could help you build muscle...

ROYAL JELLY

Produced by glands in the heads of worker bees, royal jelly is fed to larvae and the queen bee. We know what you're thinking: a) that sounds pretty nasty, and b) what can bee food do for bodybuilders? While we can't debate you on the first one, there's plenty that royal jelly can do for you. It's very high in protein and other nutrients, including the B vitamins and vitamins A, C, D and E, as well as 10-HDA (10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid), a special unsaturated fatty acid.

Although little human research has been done, anecdotal reports suggest royal jelly is effective at increasing energy and reducing fatigue. To support this, a 2001 animal study published in the Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology found that royal jelly supplementation prevented fatigue during intense exercise by decreasing the accumulation of lactic acid. This has great implications for bodybuilders, as lactic acid buildup results in the burning you feel at the end of a tough set and is one of the reasons you fatigue. Your best bet is to go with freeze-dried royal jelly products due to the high percentage of water in royal jelly.

* HOW TO TAKE IT: Take about 1,000 mg of royal jelly about 30 minutes before workouts to reduce lactic-acid levels and fatigue, allowing you to pump out more reps on more sets for greater muscle growth.